Posted: 5/3/2005 2:22:34 AM EDT
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Could HB 1311 Expose A Hidden Agenda? HEARING THURSDAY The hearing for HB 1311, "Domestic Violence Victims Empowerment Act", has been moved to Thursday. If you have already emailed, please call these representatives about this important legislation. If you have not already emailed, please go to the auto emailer listed below AND call. Auto-Email at: www.grnc.org/alerts/email4_29_05.htm A real solution that will protect women, HB 1311 ("Domestic Violence Victims Empowerment Act"), will come before the House Judiciary III committee for a hearing on Tuesday, May 3. [Analysis] Like other states, in 2003 the NC legislature passed the "Homicide Prevention Act,"* a gun registration and confiscation law purportedly aimed at reducing domestic violence. Like other gun control, it has failed miserably: In the year following the law’s implementation, domestic homicide increased by 26%, murder/suicide increased by 40% and gun use in domestic homicide increased by 15%. While the response to the failure of gun control is typically more gun control, GRNC has worked on formulating a novel approach to reducing domestic violence. Rather than requiring domestic victims to depend solely on restraining orders and law enforcement authorities that have neither the ability nor the legal obligation to protect them, GRNC is advocating legislation that empowers victims to protect themselves. (* SB 919: "Homicide Prevention Act/Domestic Violence," sponsored by Sen. TONY RAND (D-Cumberland, GRNC 0-star), passed in 2003. It mandates registration of defendants’ firearms regardless of whether the defendant gets an opportunity to participate in the hearing, or whether the judge dismisses the complaint as frivolous. The law contains no controls over gun registration information collected. If the defendant's guns are seized, few controls exist on what sheriffs may charge for storage.) HB 1311: "DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS EMPOWERMENT ACT" Sponsored by Reps. MARK HILTON (R-Catawba, GRNC ****) and LINDA JOHNSON (R-Cabarrus, ****), HB 1311 will empower domestic victims to protect themselves by: · Requiring sheriffs to expedite concealed handgun permits for applicants being protected by domestic restraining orders. · Requiring judges to advise victims of their right to permits when restraining orders are issued. What HB 1311 WILL do: · Give domestic violence victims immediate access to means for self-protection. · Deter domestic homicides as abusers realize that their victims may be armed. What HB 1311 will NOT do: · It will not exempt concealed handgun applicants from criminal background checks. · It will not exempt them from the requirement to obtain training: If the applicant fails to take the required concealed handgun course within 30 days, the sheriff *may* revoke the permit. *You* Must Seize the Initiative Whether the problem is crime, juvenile violence or domestic violence, gun control advocates invariably push gun control as a “solution.” Rather than responding defensively by citing all the reasons such approaches invariably fail, it is time for YOU to get proactive and begin advocating a new, more effective means of combating violence. WHERE DO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORGANIZATIONS STAND? Organizations behind the failed "Homicide Prevention Act" included the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV) and North Carolinians “Against Gun Violence” (NCAGV). Although purportedly intended to reduce domestic homicide, representatives from these organizations responded the way they always do: By advocating gun control. Although NCCADV has yet to espouse an official position, its lobbyist has reportedly indicated that it may oppose HB 1311 because its members “don’t like guns.” For these and other such organizations, it is time for them to decide their priorities: Do they want to ban guns, or protect victims of abuse? IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THESE LEGISLATORS Use our auto-emailer or contact these representatives individually: www.grnc.org/alerts/email4_29_05.htm HB 1311 has been referred to the House Judiciary III Committee. |